Posts for June 30, 2021 (page 11)

At Thanksgiving years ago, 
we sat down with a Spaniard named Juan.  

El Madrileño smoked a succulent turkey 
in a Big Green Egg.  

The basic truth about turkey 
as Americans generally make it,

is that you need a gallon of gravy 
before it feels comfortable in your mouth.

Before I realized my mother’s Pavo a la Pepitoria 
was nestled next to Juan’s chunk of breast, I exclaimed

Juan!  This is the best turkey I have ever eaten!
My mother began to cry.  

Pavo a la Pepitoria is browned 
and cooked in a pot

with carrots and celery, the barest pinches 
of fresh cut garlic, 

oil, wine, and an almond roux, 
with a micron of cumin.

I can see, quite easily, why 
she was wounded.

Driving with the windows down because the air conditioning won’t do crap against June heat. Hanging out at the dodgy mall where there’s a shooting every other week because it’s the only place in town with your friend’s favorite stores.

Humming along to “Good 4 U” even though you’ve heard it a thousand times listening to someone else watch TikTok, since you don’t even use TikTok because you’re afraid of Chinese spies.

Listening to your easily annoyed family members rant to you about the latest lost battle of the culture war that they heard about on the twenty-four hour spin cycle.

Get sunburnt on some beach in Florida while outlaw country plays in the background and speedboats adorned with “DESANTIS 2024” flags narrowly avoid mowing down swimmers.

Going to summer camp and getting brain freeze on store-brand ice cream and watching The Chronicles of Narnia on the projector screen, which everyone knows but no one remembered until now.

Meeting new friends that you won’t see again for a year, finding yourself in ways and people you didn’t think you could, and realizing who and what you are and want to be.

Fantasizing about the future nostalgia that you’ll experience from all of it, that you’ll tell your kids and grandkids and great-grandkids about one day and maybe write a New York Times-bestselling YA novel about.

Finding yourself in evening walks under the sunset and practicing how you’ll start over again once you get home or if you even need to.